In this Issue: Upcoming Events FALL 2012 Fundraising News: pg 2-3 RPCV Jordan Photo Contest pg. 4 Jordan's Star Trek Theme Park pg 5 What to expect inside the Fall newsletter Fall is here and it is the perfect time to drink some shai, gather near the soba, and catch up with all the happenings at FOJ. In this edition of Marhabtain, we have updates from our summer fundraising events and news about a current PCV project happening in the field. The Fall newsletter also features an article on the new Star Trek Theme Park in Aqaba and a review of a new film from Jordanian-Palestinian director Mahmoud al Massad. Happy Fall from the Friends of Jordan Team! -Bess Nuland, Newsletter Editor New York, NY 11/30/11 American Missionaries and the Ottoman Empire A Lecture by Devrim Umit Time: 12:30-2PM Location: Columbia Universities Earth Institute Knox Hall, Room 208 ~ 606 West 122nd Street, New York, NY Washington ,DC 01/24/12 Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party A lecture by Joseph Sassoon Time: 6pm Location: Georgetown University Intercultural Center CCAS Boardroom (ICC241)
Transcript
In this Issue:
Upcoming Events
F A L L 2 0 1 2
Fundraising News: pg 2-3
RPCV Jordan Photo
Contest pg. 4
Jordan's Star Trek
Theme Park pg 5
What to expect inside the Fall newsletter Fall is here and it is the perfect time to drink some shai, gather near the soba, and catch up with
all the happenings at FOJ. In this edition of Marhabtain, we have updates from our summer fundraising events and news about a current PCV project happening in the field. The Fall newsletter also features an article on the new Star Trek Theme Park in Aqaba and a review of a new film from Jordanian-Palestinian director Mahmoud al Massad. Happy Fall from the Friends of Jordan Team! -Bess Nuland, Newsletter Editor
New York, NY 11/30/11 American Missionaries and the Ottoman Empire A Lecture by Devrim Umit Time: 12:30-2PM Location: Columbia Universities Earth Institute Knox Hall, Room 208 ~ 606 West 122nd Street, New York, NY Washington ,DC 01/24/12 Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party A lecture by Joseph Sassoon Time: 6pm Location: Georgetown University Intercultural Center CCAS Boardroom (ICC241)
FRIENDS OF JORDAN FALL 2012
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FOJ 50th Anniversary Potluck by Vanessa de Bruyn Friends of Jordan held a reunion luncheon and fundraiser in Washington, DC on Saturday, September 24th in celebration of the 50thanniversary of the Peace Corps. Over 25 people attended, including one J1, one J2, seven J5s, five J7s, two J8s, four J9s, two J10s, and one J12. Former Country Director Darcy Neill (2000-2007) and several Friends of Morocco members joined in the fun as well. Attendees enjoyed home-cooked Jordanian food ranging from dates and hummus to mujedderra and shorabat 'addis to gahwe and kanafe. Although donations were optional, RPCVs helped raise
$100 for Friends of Jordan! Other 50th anniversary events attended by Jordan RPCVs that weekend include the Peace Corps Staff Party, held at the National Building Museum; the Peace Corps Third Goal Bash, held at George Washington University; the Walk of Flags, a parade of volunteers who walked from Arlington National Cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial; and a Group Leaders Forum hosted by the National Peace Corps Association.
PinkBerry Fundraiser by Gloria Lee
On September 30th, Friends of Jordan organized a fundraiser through the Dupont area Pinkberry frozen yogurt shop in Washington, DC. Through word of mouth, emails, blog/message board postings and volunteers hitting the pavement with flyers, we invited RPCVs and friends to come out and buy some froyo! 20% of each sale with a FOJ flyer went towards funding future projects for Peace Corps Volunteers in Jordan. The FOJ officers wanted to express thanks to everyone who came out to support our first Pinkberry fundraiser in Washington, DC! A special thanks to those wonderful DC area members who volunteered!
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A big SHOKRAN JAZEELAN to all supporters of Friends of Jordan. Because of YOU, our recent Ramadan Raffle sold almost 300 raffle tickets, bringing in a stunning $1,555!!! Congratulations to all of our winners, who collected amazing prizes including Jordanian flags, debka music, and "I survived mansef" t-shirts. Contributions will fund small grants that will provide opportunities for youth and adult learners in some of the most marginalized communities in Jordan. Small grants programs include innovative critical thinking sessions, extra-curricular language learning, theater workshops, fitness clubs and
adult education and enhance community-led initiatives all over Jordan. Thank you!
FOJ Raffle Fundraiser By Neal Christiansen
Creative Stations was a one-day English language camp organized by Miss Mayrvet Tarawneh for the 9th grade students of Al-Ghwair Secondary for Girls. 6 students from Mirwed, Mazar and Marj were also in attendance. Creative Stations involved a series of lessons about learning English, prepared by the 9th grade students themselves and assisted by Miss Mayrvet. They included "Thinking Hats", "Creative Strategies for English Language Learning", and a presentation about Karak using Moviemaker. The Friends of Jordan grant went towards purchasing materials for the camp, refreshments, and certificates for all participants. The camp was an excellent opportunity for the students to practice their English and for students who presented, it was also a chance for them to develop leadership skills and improve their public speaking skills.
Notes from the Field: Creative Stations Jeanine Chiu, J-14
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FOJ Photo Contest!
More winning photographs can be seen on the PC website at: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about.fiftieth.photo_contest
PHOTO CONTEST: In the age of digital photography, everyone can be a professional photographer! Submit your award-‐winning photographs of Jordan; village life, city living, and PCV weekend vacation themes are all welcome! Exhibiting your photographs of Jordan is one way to fulfill the Peace Corp’s third goal: bringing it home! Help us educate others about Jordan by submitting your favorite shots. SUBMISSION RULES: Submit a maximum of five photographs to Friends of Jordan by December 15th! Photographs must be a 5x7 high resolution image (digital or print). Photographs must have been taken in Jordan. No picture showing a Peace Corps Volunteer will be eligible. CONTEST RESULTS: Friends of Jordan board members will select three winning photographs, which will be displayed alongside accolades on the FOJ website, on the FOJ Facebook page, and in the FOJ newsletter. Winning submissions will also be submitted by FOJ on the winners’ behalf to the RPCV Madison, Wisconsin photography contest for possible submission into their 2013International Calendar. Winners will be notified by January 2012 and asked to provide a paragraph about their photo(s).
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A Star Trek-themed attraction is set to boldly go ahead in Jordan, as US$1.5 billion of funding has been secured for a major tourism and theme park development. Construction work on the 74-hectare Red Sea Astrarium project in Aqaba, which will include four hotels and 17 entertainment developments, is expected to start early next year. The project is being funded by investors from the US and the Gulf, according to a partner in the project. The Amman company Rubicon Group Holding, which makes animated films, said in May it would design and produce the entertainment elements of the resort. The total investment in the project will be $1.5bn (Dh5.5bn), said Randa Ayoubi, the chief executive of Rubicon. "They have a group of investors. The main Jordanian investor is the King Abdullah Fund," Ms Ayoubi said, in reference to the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD). "There are many American and investors from the Gulf [as well]," she added, without giving further details.
"So the numbers we're after are not high." The resort will include hotels, theatres, dining and shopping. The entertainment will be themed around the idea of Jordan as "a crossroads of civilisations", Ms Ayoubi said. It will be "creatively developed" by Paramount Recreation, part of the Paramount group, Rubicon said in May. Development of the resort would generate employment for more than 500 skilled workers, according to Rubicon. The architectural firm Callison has been engaged to design the project, while the engineering firm Arup is behind the infrastructure, Ms Ayoubi said. Jordan's tourism industry, along with other markets such as Egypt and Syria, was hit by protests in the Middle East this year. Ms Ayoubi said work needed to be done in promoting Jordan as a tourism destination. "Jordan has a lot to offer and we have never really as a country capitalised on it well enough," she said. "There's no 'Brand Jordan' out there. "We need to work on that - getting the brand out there, telling people what's on offer." KAFD was established in 2001 by King Abdullah II, two years after he become monarch. The purpose of the fund is to "encourage innovation and growth in Jordan's public and private sectors", according to the king's website. The Astrarium project will not be King Abdullah's first voyage into the world of Star Trek. He is known to be a "Trekkie", as fans of the long-running science-fiction show are known. He reportedly made a brief cameo on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager in 1995, when he was still a prince.
Jordan Theme Park Treks Ahead By Ben Flanagan, originally printed in the National Aug, 2011
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Movie Review: This is My Picture When I was Dead By Natasha Marwah J10 and Tighe Flanagan J10 This is My Picture When I Was Dead (2010), a film by Jordanian-Palestinian director Mahmoud al Massad, blurs the line between drama and documentary. The story is told by Bashir Mraish, the son of a top PLO lieutenant, as well as a cast of other real life personalities, including his mother and his father's old friend. The narrative also blurs the line between the present and memories of Bashir's youth as well as stories about his father, Mamoun Mraish. The most interesting flashback is when Bashir recalls when he was with his father in Athens and the two of them were attacked by assassins while driving in a car. They were both assumed to be dead, and it wasn't until several hours later when it was discovered that 4-year old Bashir survived the attack. The storyline creatively follows Bashir as he engages in discussions about the life of his father 30 years later, unfolding a personal story about one of the most crucial international issues of the 21st century. Bashir captures elements of political challenges in the region as a cartoonist.
However, beyond creative storytelling and a number of characters who humorously capture Bashir's father's persona, the director fails to build enough momentum on any one topic. The film doesn't delve into the persona of Bashir and fails to explore any one theme presented sufficiently. This may simply be a limitation of sticking to a documentary type film, using the real people and not actors. Overall the different anecdotes that are woven together are interesting, but the film creeps along at times. One redeeming fact is that much of the film was shot in Amman,
and is full of small visual reminders of Jordan - from taxi cabs to the lipstick-shaped hotel on third circle. The director is Palestinian and splits his time between Jordan and the Netherlands. Al Massad also produced a film recently about terrorism in Zarqa, Recycle (2007), which definitely looks like an interesting watch if you can get your hands on it!
